Federal Court Hears Challenge to Minnesota Homecare Providers’ Unionization
Minneapolis, MN (August 19, 2014) – Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota will consider a motion brought by a group of home-based personal care providers to immediately halt the unionization of the state’s homecare providers.
With free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, Teri Bierman and eight other providers from around the state filed a federal lawsuit last month against Governor Mark Dayton and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
The suit challenges a law that authorizes the forcible unionization of the state’s providers on the grounds that it violates the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of free political expression and association.
Today, the court will consider the homecare providers’ motion for a temporary injunction immediately halting implementation of the law intended to designate SEIU officials as the monopoly political representative of thousands of providers in the state. The SEIU seeks to unionize the providers via a mail-in vote that started on August 1.
In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in Harris v. Quinn, a Foundation case challenging whether Illinois homecare providers can be forced into union ranks against their will. The Court held that individuals who indirectly receive state subsidies based on their clientele cannot be forced to pay compulsory union fees. The Court’s ruling frees home-based childcare and personal care providers from forced union dues and fees in at least 13 other states.
«In effect Governor Dayton is picking the SEIU as the lobbyists for Minnesota’s personal care providers as payback for the union bosses who have been some of his most generous political supporters,» said Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation. «The court should immediately halt this violation of homecare providers’ fundamental right of free association.»
The hearing will be held in Courtroom 15E at the Minneapolis Federal Courthouse at 9:30 a.m.
Ford Employee Slaps UAW & Company with Federal Charges for Illegal Dues Deductions
Dearborn, MI (August 20, 2014) – A Dearborn-area Ford Motor Company worker has filed federal charges against the United Auto Workers (UAW) union and the company for violating his rights.
With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, Todd Lemire, a 16-year Dearborn Tool & Die plant worker, filed the charges last week with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
On April 7, 2014, Lemire sent a letter to Ford Motor and UAW union officials exercising his statutory rights to resign his union membership and refrain from full union dues. Under Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court precedent, nonmember workers can refrain from paying for union boss politics and members-only events. The current contract was agreed to before Michigan’s Right to Work law came into effect, which is why Lemire cannot yet cut off all union dues and fees.
Even though UAW union officials acknowledged Lemire’s request, Ford continued to confiscate full union dues from Lemire’s paychecks. Lemire sent a second letter, this time informing UAW union officials that full dues were still being taken from his paychecks. UAW union officials returned the illegally-taken union dues.
Despite Lemire’s repeated attempts to refrain from full dues-paying union membership, Ford Motor continues to confiscate, and UAW union officials continue to accept, full union dues from Lemire’s paychecks.
«No worker should be forced to jump over hurdles to exercise their right to refrain from union affiliation,» said Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation. «This case underscores just how important Michigan’s Right to Work law making union dues payments completely voluntary is for workers.»
Labor Day Statement: «Despite Big Victories for Worker Freedom, More Work Remains»
Washington, DC (August 29, 2014) – Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation and National Right to Work Committee, released the following statement regarding this year’s Labor Day holiday:
«This Labor Day, many workers will enjoy a well-deserved long weekend. But as we celebrate the gains for workplace freedoms workers have made across the country, union officials are working aggressively to protect and expand their forced dues powers through government fiat.
«This year, National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys have assisted tens of thousands of workers nationwide achieve victories for workplace freedom. In America’s newest Right to Work state, a growing number of workers from across Michigan are joining the fight to protect their Right to Work free from union compulsion.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when given a chance to vote, staved off unwanted unionization, overcoming a coercive card check campaign, pushed by company management and United Auto Workers union officials.
«And in Illinois, parents and other family members of special needs individuals successfully challenged a government unionization scheme at the U.S. Supreme Court. In that case, now-imprisoned former Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich and current Governor Pat Quinn issued executive orders forcing home-based personal care providers into SEIU ranks. The effects of that ruling are reverberating across the nation, and thousands of home-based personal care and childcare providers have been freed from forced union dues or fees.
«Despite these big victories for worker freedom, more work remains. Millions of American workers are still compelled to pay dues or fees to union officials as a condition of getting or keeping a job. And millions more workers are required by law to accept a union’s so-called ‘representation,’ even if they would rather negotiate with their employer on their own merits.
«Not satisfied with these unique coercive powers, union officials continue to spend billions of workers’ money on politics and lobbying seeking to expand their reach over American workers.
«That’s why the National Right to Work Committee and its 2.8 million members are leading the fight for a National Right to Work Act making union affiliation completely voluntary – a principle supported by three out of four Americans.
«Although union officials have powerful friends in the Obama Administration, the National Right to Work organizations will continue to fight back against government-backed union boss power grabs and the resulting injustices they inflict upon American workers.»
Judge Strikes Down Michigan Teacher Union’s Illegal «Window Period» Scheme
Lansing, MI (September 4, 2014) – A Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) judge has struck down the Michigan Education Association (MEA) union hierarchy’s scheme to prohibit public school teachers and employees from exercising their rights to refrain from union membership.
The ruling stems from state charges filed by Mark Norgan, a Standish-Sterling Community Schools janitor, Alphia Snyder, a Battle Creek Public Schools secretary, and Mary Carr, a Grand Blanc Community Schools special education department secretary, with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The charges challenged MEA’s policy of requiring workers to resign union membership and refrain from union dues payments only during a «window period» of August 1 through August 31.
The MERC administrative law judge agreed with Foundation staff attorneys who argued that Michigan’s Right to Work law protects workers’ unequivocal right to refrain from union membership at any time. Similarly, federal labor law protects workers’ absolute right to refrain from union membership at any time without penalty.
«Across the state, union officials are pulling out all the stops to keep workers from exercising their rights under Michigan’s Right to Work law,» said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. «This ruling is a huge victory for workers throughout the state whose rights under Michigan’s Right to Work law are being denied by unscrupulous union officials.»
In similar cases across Michigan, Foundation staff attorneys are assisting several other public-sector workers who filed charges with the MERC challenging union officials’ schemes to stonewall workers attempting to exercise their rights under Michigan’s Right to Work law.
Judge Strikes Down Michigan Teacher Union’s Illegal «Window Period» Scheme
Judge Strikes Down Michigan Teacher Union’s Illegal «Window Period» Scheme
Michigan union officials stonewall workers’ attempts to exercise their rights under Michigan’s Right to Work law
Lansing, MI (September 4, 2014) – A Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) judge has struck down the Michigan Education Association (MEA) union hierarchy’s scheme to prohibit public school teachers and employees from exercising their rights to refrain from union membership.
The ruling stems from state charges filed by Mark Norgan, a Standish-Sterling Community Schools janitor, Alphia Snyder, a Battle Creek Public Schools secretary, and Mary Carr, a Grand Blanc Community Schools special education department secretary, with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The charges challenged MEA’s policy of requiring workers to resign union membership and refrain from union dues payments only during a «window period» of August 1 through August 31.
Local Security Guards Win Federal Settlement to End Illegal Forced Union Dues Payments
Local Security Guards Win Federal Settlement to End Illegal Forced Union Dues Payments
Case underscores need for Maryland Right to Work law
White Oak, MD (September 9, 2014) – Four local Coastal International Security, Inc. security guards have won a federal settlement from a local union and their employer for illegally forcing them into paying union dues and fees.
The settlement comes in the wake of federal charges filed by the security guards with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
In December, Coastal security guard Karif King, who has been employed by Coastal International since 2008, and his coworkers voted to deauthorize the «Union Rights for Security Officers» union, thus revoking the union’s power to force nonmember workers into forced dues payments. Federal law requires that union officials cease forcing nonmember workers into forced dues payments upon request if a majority of workers vote to deauthorize the union’s forced dues powers.
Construction Worker Files Federal Charges Against LIUNA Union and Company for Illegal Firing
Construction Worker Files Federal Charges Against LIUNA Union and Company for Illegal Firing
Thuggish union boss behavior underscores need for Colorado Right to Work law
Colorado Springs, CO (September 9, 2014) – A former Michels Corporation construction worker has filed federal charges against the company and a local union for violating his rights and illegally firing him for refusing to pay union dues.
With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, Paul Castle of Fountain filed the federal unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Shortly after Michels hired Castle in August 4, 2014, Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 578 union officials demanded he join the union and pay union dues as a condition of his employment.
Ohio Teachers Win Class-Action Settlement to Halt Compulsory Union Dues for Political Activism
Ohio Teachers Win Class-Action Settlement to Halt Compulsory Union Dues for Political Activism
Ohio teacher union bosses forced to refund dues and fees illegally used for union electioneering to over 2,000 teachers
Columbus, OH (September 11, 2014) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, 14 public school teachers across the state have won a federal class-action settlement against the Ohio Education Association (OEA) and 11 of its regional and local affiliates for violating their rights.
The settlement is in a class-action lawsuit the group filed in 2011 after the OEA union unlawfully overcharged the teachers — who have refrained from full-dues-paying union membership — for union «fees» taken from their paychecks. The union hierarchy charged the teachers for costs supporting the union’s political activism and electioneering.
Disney World Worker Files Federal Charge Against Teamsters Union Officials for Ignoring His Rights
Disney World Worker Files Federal Charge Against Teamsters Union Officials for Ignoring His Rights
Workers’ rights do not magically disappear in «The Most Magical Place on Earth»
Lake Buena Vista, FL (September 16, 2014) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a Walt Disney World worker filed a federal charge Monday against a local union for violating his rights.
Winter Garden resident Hector Santana-Quintana filed the unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Teamsters Local 385 for ignoring his right to refrain from paying union dues.
On June 1, 2014, Santana-Quintana resigned from the union and revoked his dues deduction authorization – a document used by union officials to automatically collect dues from workers’ paychecks – while the union did not have a contract at his workplace.
Under Florida’s popular Right to Work law, no worker can be required to join or pay any money to a union. Under federal labor law, workers can unconditionally revoke their dues deduction authorizations once a contract between the union and their employer terminates.
Grocery Union Bosses Face Federal Charge for Violating Kroger Workers’ Rights, Ignoring Right to Work Protections
Grocery Union Bosses Face Federal Charge for Violating Kroger Workers’ Rights, Ignoring Right to Work Protections
UFCW bosses stonewall Fort Wayne grocery workers’ attempts to cut off forced dues confiscations
Fort Wayne, IN (September 24, 2014) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, two Fort Wayne Kroger workers filed a federal charge Monday against a local grocery union for violating their rights.
Eleanor Haynes and Barbara Peter filed the unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union Local 700 for ignoring their right to refrain from paying union dues.
Haynes and Peter resigned from the union and revoked their dues deduction authorizations — a document used by union officials to automatically collect dues from workers’ paychecks — effective with the expiration of the union’s contract with their employer. Under federal labor law, workers can unconditionally revoke their dues deduction authorizations when a contract between the union and their employer terminates.
